Occlumency Askew
by Lost City
Summary: HG&SS Gryffindor brain tries to one up the sly git. Dumbledore gets involved when he needs them to cooperate to make some potions for the remaining death eaters Voldemort’s been vanquished Dumbledore hopes Hermione can snake her way into the snake’s heart
1. First Detention

Title: Occlumency Askew

Yes it is all JKR's no its not mine.

Plot summery: HG&SS Gryffindor brain tries to one- up the sly git. Dumbledore gets involved when he needs them to cooperate to make some potions for the remaining death eaters (Voldemort's been vanquished) Dumbledore hopes Hermione can snake her way into the snake's heart.

One

Hermione sat in potions class between Ron and Harry, who were leaning in front of her arguing about quidditch as is she weren't there. It was the same old stuff every day. At the moment she was contemplating Snape's reaction to being thrown over a high cliff- he had just taken 10 points from Gryffindor because she answered too many questions right and "crippled the other students' self-esteem"- yeah, like Snape needed help with that.

"Harry pay attention!" Hermione grabbed his hand before he seriously messed up his potion. They were making occlumency bane, a powerful potion that broke down every wall of defense in a wizards mind- no matter if they were Harry Potter and had taken private lessons with Snape to prevent Voldemort from entering their minds- this potion, as Snape had so lovingly put it, "would render Potter as helpless as Longbottom on his potions NEWTS."

Hermione finished her potion with half the period left, and sat for awhile watching it darken from green to black, than harden into a solid block that looked like glass and felt like dough. Malfoy finished his potion and looked up. He smirked at Hermione's block at first, but then shock registered on his face and he blurted out "bloody Merlin!"

"Where's the fire, Mr. Malfoy?" asked Snape calmly, without looking up from the paper he was busy failing.

"Sir, Granger… Granger- eh- screwed up her potion."

Snape's head snapped up. He stared at Malfoy for a second, thinking he was trying to get attention as usual with one of his relentlessly irritating outbursts. But Malfoy stared right back, so Snape turned his head slowly to look at Hermione. She seemed quite calm and sure of herself, bloody overconfident Gryffindor. But when Snape looked at what was lying in the vial on her desk, his jaw twitched slightly in surprise.

"Ms Granger, are you aware that we are making the occlumency bane?"

"Yes, sir"

"Are you further aware that it should, shall we say, not be a solid block of black glass?"

"Yes, sir"

"And that it should in fact look like Mr. Malfoy's?" he asked, indicating the steamy green liquid that sat in a corked vial on Malfoy's desk.

"Yes, sir"

"I see," Snape said simply, and turned his attention back to the paper on his desk. He wrote Fail in large print across the top and went on to the next paper. This was clearly not the response Hermione wanted. She shifted in her desk, and cleared her throat. Snape ignored her.

"Sir?"

He put down his quill and looked up irritably. "Yes?"

"This is a different kind of occlumency bane. I've been researching occlumency, and this is a much more efficient and powerful potion."

"As much as I'm sure a studious little Gryffindor girl would love to discover a more "efficient and powerful" mind reading potion, I assure you none exists."

"I beg to differ."

Snape cracked a mocking smile and looked at her with anger flashing behind his eyes. "Explain it to me in detention."

The bell rang, and many of the students had to recompose themselves before they brought their potions up to Snape's desk. A few whispered as they left, "Can you believe Hermione got something wrong?" "Nah, there must be an explanation." "Maybe she's finally cracked. All the pressure and everything." "Who hasn't cracked around Snape?"

Hermione was the last to leave. She placed her potion on Snape's desk as they exchanged questioning glances. Hermione turned her back and left, and once she was in the Gryffindor common room she smiled. I'll give him the biggest bloody shock of his life, she thought, as she anticipated her first detention. She fell asleep on the couch in front of the fire.


	2. Darkness

Two

Harry and Ron, of course, already knew her plan completely well. And although Hermione had not exactly asked them to make it known, she had never actually said to keep it a secret… so Hermione was not entirely surprised when she awoke to a commotion in the common room.

Ron was standing on a table waving a large bag of galleons in his hands. "Five two one against! Bets in by dinner!"

A first year levitated a galleon to Ron, who directed the boy to Harry. He signed his name to a long list of students.

"Hermione!" Ron yelled, when he saw that she was awake. "Hey, wanna place a bet?"

"Bet on what?"

"Will you be the first to prove Snape wrong? Five to one against. Come on, Hermione, join the fun."

A grin crossed her faced and she fished five galleons from her pocket. "Sign me up for…" The betting Gryffindors looked at her expectantly. "I will prove him wrong."

The commotion suddenly became an outright wrestling match to get to Ron and Harry.

"Five to one against! Six sickles, Harry. From Finnigan. A galleon for. Two against. Harry, ten galleons for! Ten more against…" A red feathered owl, clearly dyed, swooped down through an open window and dropped a bag of gold on Ron's head. It had a little white tag on it that read "For." "Harry! Harry! One hundred galleons! _One hundred galleons_! From Fred and George!"

Hermione laughed and walked toward the portrait hole to go get breakfast. Right before she disappeared into the corridor, Ron shouted, "Hermione, its thirty to one for!", making Hermione laugh.

Hermione arrived in the Great Hall five minutes before dinner, but the food was already out. She piled her plate high and ate slowly. She had finished half of her meal by the time the hall was filled with students. Harry and Ron took their places beside her. She watched them eat for a while, and drifted into a daydream. Suddenly she looked at the clock and jumped up. "Gotta go, guys." "Good luck, Hermione," they patted her on the back, and Ron slipped a lucky sickle into her pocket. She grinned and left the hall.

She walked down the corridors and arrived at the door to Snape's office. Dark, heavy wood with an engraved Slytherin snake just above eye level. She took a breath in and knocked.

"Enter." The room was pitch black, which made her heart leap. Not out of fear of the dark itself; no, she had taken photography classes in her muggle school and had worked comfortably in a dark room, but then she had not been in the dark room without a soul but Snape. Not that she believed Snape had a soul.

"Follow my voice Miss Granger," his voice seemed like silk- she had never really paid attention to it, but now there were no other sounds in the room, and she couldn't very well have been distracted by the scenery.

She took a few tentative steps forward, her feet sliding along the floor as not to trip over anything. She stretched her arms out in front of her and slid toward where she thought he should be. Her hand hit something soft and she felt to see what it was. She gasped slightly and dropped her hand when she realized that she was touching Snape's hand.

"Have a seat." She did. Why the bloody hell are all the lights off, she wondered. "Because I prefer to practice occlumency in the dark." Hermione was confused as to what he was talking about for a moment, but she realized with fear that he had just used his occlumency on her. Dammit. She let go of her fear just long enough to completely close her mind… there. Now let Snape try his tricks.

"Very good Miss Granger." He said in his silky voice. An unwelcome shiver crept up her spine and she realized that she was completely at the mercy of her cold blooded potions professor. "Here I have prepared occlumency bane. Drink it." She heard liquid sloshing around in front of her and grabbed at where the vial must be. Her fingers brushed against Snape's and she blushed into the darkness as she gulped down the vile liquid.

She felt him pushing his way into her mind and concentrated on nothing. She was determined to prove him wrong, and that would be the only thought he would get out of her. Suddenly a hand landed softly on the back of her neck. A colder shiver ran through her as she realized Snape must have gotten up from his seat and walked behind her. He ran his knuckles up and down her neck as he continued to pry into her mind, still finding nothing. He clasped his hands around her neck and pulled up ever so gently. Hermione had never felt anything like it. It was like the weight of her head was gone, it was wonderful and scary- she felt free and knew that this was what Snape wanted. She concentrated harder on nothing, but weakened instantly when his hands fell on her shoulders and he began to massage her.


	3. Into the Mind

Hey guys! I realize that was a nasty cliffhanger back there- my bad- I hate reading those myself, I'll try to tone the endings down a bit… enjoy.

3

She could barely hold herself upright in the chair- her mind was working too hard; she couldn't force her body to obey her weakening will. She finally gave up and slid so far down the chair that she was almost on the floor. Snape never took his hands off of her. She was in a position where she no longer had to use any muscles; she could concentrate fully on her mind. But his hands, wow, she would never have guessed they were capable of anything but violence, and as this thought crept into her head, she lost her strongest wall of defense. No longer capable of thinking of nothing, she began to think lies. She fed Snape a false memory of Harry and Voldemort- why not have a little fun with Snape, let him think he's in control when he's not. Harry was in the chamber of secrets, Quirril was unwrapping his head, and Harry jumped from his place on the stairs with an impossibly skilled flying front kick and landed one on Voldemort's face.

Snape was a bit surprised at Harry's actions and took his hands from Hermione's shoulders and folded his arms across his chest. He continued to search her thoughts, satisfied that he was getting what he wanted. Hermione gave a silent sigh of relief at this, but did not set herself upright in her chair. Let Snape keep thinking he's winning for the time being, she thought. He'll find out eventually anyway.

She was able to strengthen her lies now. She thought of bumping into Malfoy in the corridor at night, and, unprovoked, threw a punch at him, causing him to run toward his common room, whimpering slightly. Snape snorted behind her. Vain little pureblood brat, he thought. He had it coming.

Then Hermione imagined herself walking to the potions classroom with Harry and Ron, the rest of the Gryffindors and Slytherins scattered around them. They took their seats, and immediately Snape asked, "can anyone tell me the difference between silver gillbottox and a concentrated gillbottox drought? Of course Hermione raised her hand, and got the question right. Snape looked down at her from his desk and said simply, "Very good, 10 points to Gryffindor."

The real Snape behind Hermione was silent for a moment, for the life of him he could not remember ever giving points to a Gryffindor, but then he gasped in surprise. She was feeding him false thoughts! He stood unmoving, pondering this impossibility. Hermione felt him leave her mind, and after a minute of his silence, began to worry. What if I made him mad? Smart move, Hermione. Now you're in for it. He'll give you detentions for a month! She sat up in her chair and waited nervously for his reaction.

When he finally spoke, his words shocked her back into a slouch. "Very good, 10 points to Gryffindor."

"S- sir?"

He muttered a spell and the lights came on. Hermione slapped her hands to her eyes and blinked. By the time she had adjusted, Snape was standing at the other side of his desk, across from her. His face was devoid of all emotion.

"Now for the original purpose of your detention- explain to me your occlumency bane." His voice had regained its malice and she made sure to look at anything but him. She really, really did not want to talk to him right now. Especially if she would have to do all the talking. A wave of nervousness engulfed her, and she briefly noted that this must have been how Neville felt when facing his boggart. Snape pulled her glass block from a shelf behind him and sat it on his desk where she could reach it.

She grabbed it, not particularly because she needed it but more because she needed something to do with her hands. Her hand shook as she brought the block to her lap, and Snape noticed and gave her an icy smirk. She narrowed her eyes in anger and began to talk.

"Very simply put, if I drank this I would not be able to think lies. It's essentially the same potion as the original occlumency bane, except you need to… add an extra ingredient." Please, please don't ask me to explain further.

"Elaborate."

Oh Merlin, no. "Eh… you need…professor, I can't…"

"Spit it out, Granger!"

"Unicorn tears." Dear Merlin, spare me the wrath…

"Unicorn tears. Miss Granger, the only unicorn tears in the wizarding world at the moment are those which the unicorns have not yet shed, and those in my private stores." He stared daggers at her and waited for an explanation. Merlin, if looks could kill.

She didn't speak, didn't move, didn't blink. There was no way she was going to live through this. "Did you steal from me?" Still nothing. He growled through his teeth and looked into her mind. This time, she was too scared to resist. Snape immediately found what he was looking for. Although, he had to admit, it wasn't exactly stealing- she had used only half of her ingredients in class one day, and produced half the amount of potion that she should have, and walked out with more than enough unicorn tears remaining for her occlumency bane. What a sneaky little genius she was.

Snape looked at her quivering eyes and laughed coldly. "Fifty points from Gryffindor," he said, his sadistic, child-hating tendencies beginning to resurface. "How many detentions would you like, Miss Granger?"

She knew she had better not go skimpy on her answer, and said, pale-faced, "A week?"

"You will come to detention every day for three weeks." She let her head fall to his desk with a thud. "Now let's test your potion." She perked up a little at this, after all, this was what she had gotten herself a detention for in the first place: to prove Snape wrong. But now she also had a couple galleons riding on it, thank you Harry and Ron, and she put her dismay aside for the moment.

"All you need to do is add water, and it turns to liquid. The block is dehydrated- it's a thing that muggles do to save space and keep things fresh."

"I know what dehydration is, Miss Granger." Hermione looked down, red faced, as Snape took the block from her hands and placed it in a bowl of water. Did he have to be so nasty all the time? Her confidence was slowly melting into nothing and for a minute doubted that her potion would work, and wondered how she could ever have been so stupid. But when the block became the black steaming liquid that she had tested on herself only a few days ago, she was immediately reassured.

"Drink." She did. It tasted like minty water, as it should. She smiled at her own brilliance but fear crossed her face when she looked up at Snape. He was looking down at her and she saw his lips twitch into an evil grin. Oh bloody Merlin, I just drank the potion that will let Snape see my darkest secrets… oh bloody hell.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door. Snape scowled at the unlucky timing. "Enter."

Dumbledore walked in, eyes twinkling as usual, and sat on the desk next to Snape. "Good evening, Severus, good evening Hermione." Snape glared incredulously at him, but Hermione gave him a relieved smile.

"There was quite a ruckus at dinner tonight after you left, Hermione. Apparently there was a little bet about you and Severus." He smiled at them both. They remained expressionless. "Yes, well, I put in ten galleons, so I just stopped by to ask… I was hoping… did you prove the old bat of the dungeons wrong, Hermione?" Hermione laughed and began to speak, but was interrupted by Snape.

"Impeccable timing, Albus. We were just about to find out. Why don't you stay and see for yourself?" He forced a smile but there was anger in his eyes.

"Thank you, my dear boy. I will do just that. Lemon drop?"

"No," answered Snape and Hermione together.

"Than let's begin."

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AN: hope you like it, please review.


	4. Comfortable

4

Hermione relaxed into the chair. This would be a trip to the candy store with Dumbledore sitting there protecting her. She knew that was why he had come- yes, he most likely had been curious about his bet, but she knew, they all knew, that Snape would have torn her to shreds if Dumbledore had not intervened.

Snape gave him a curt nod and exploded angrily into Hermione's mind. _Damn you, Granger_, he thought to her. _Saved by the bell, eh? Well, let's see if this potion really works._ He searched her thoughts, saw himself take away fifty points from Neville when his cauldron exploded… Dumbledore handing Hermione a time turner… Hermione thinking get the bloody hell out of my mind professor Snape… Malfoy calling her a mudblood… and then Hermione casting Engorgio on a picture of Snape's face as Harry and Ron stuck it to the wall of the Gryffindor common room. A party was going on, it seemed. Harry began handing out darts to the little Gryffindors… _professor, please don't watch this_… they started throwing them at the picture of his face… _oh Merlin please_… Harry and Ron were laughing excitedly and began throwing water balloons at the picture… _bloody brilliant Miss Granger, its waterproof too?_... _professor please stop, I'll take a week more of detentions, anything_… Hermione said quietly to Harry "okay, that's enough, Harry.", but Harry laughed and punched holes in the eyes, and looked through them angrily- doing a perfect imitation of Snape. "That's enough!" Hermione shouted above the Gryffindors, and they all stopped and stared. Some were shocked, some embarrassed, but most looked thoroughly scolded. "Get to bed NOW!" she continued to scream, and they complied hastily. When they had all left, Harry and Ron stood beside her awkwardly. "Merlin, Hermione, I'm sorry," said Harry. Ron tore the picture down, hoping it would appease her. She slumped onto the couch and buried her hands in her face. Harry put his arm around her and Ron sat beside her and leaned on her shoulder. "Merlin, that was so embarrassing," she said. She started laughing, and they laughed, and she fell asleep with them watching over her.

Snape released his death choke on her mind. To be honest, he was not the slightest bit surprised. It was just like her to stick up for a professor. If Snape had been any other professor in the school, absolutely anyone else, he would have gathered her into a hug or at least given her a grateful smile. But, as it were, he narrowed his eyes and said to Dumbledore, "It would seem you won your bet."

Dumbledore clapped a hand to Hermione's back and laughed. "My dear girl, you never cease to amaze me." She gave him a weary smile, but averted her eyes and stared fixedly at her shoes. She was humiliated. Snape should never have seen that- not that it was bad on her part, she'd done the right thing, but she just looked like a bloody fool standing up for the least likely person in the world. Surely Snape would wonder why. There must be some human emotion in the man, after all, he is human, she thought.

"Severus, Hermione, I have a bit of a favor to ask you." Dumbledore suddenly became serious.

Brilliant, thought Snape. Bloody freaking brilliant.

"I need the two of you to whip up some more of this potion. The Order is cracking down on the remaining Death Eaters, and we need to be able to know what they know. We need to find out where the rest are, how many are left…"

"Albus, the girl is fully capable of making the potion herself."

"Of course you know I could never allow that. She needs supervision, and you both need to test each batch."

"So I've been promoted from potions master to a child's supervisor?"

"Oh, Severus, come off it. I can't let her do this by herself. Please, I need you to do this for me."

"Fine," he grumbled.

"Hermione?" Dumbledore asked gently.

"Yes, of course, professor."

"I thank you both very much. I could not ask for a more adept pair of potion makers." He smiled warmly and left the office.

As soon as he was gone, Hermione blurted out, "professor, I'm sorry… that… that wasn't…" She was too embarrassed to formulate a full sentence, but oh well, of course Snape knew what she meant. "Miss Granger, I think you would be wise to learn to suppress embarrassment. If you were to control your breathing, and look directly into my eyes, you would put on a much stronger performance." At this, she blushed furiously, but looked into his eyes nevertheless. She waited, expecting him to go on with his speech. However, after about five seconds of silence she felt acutely uncomfortable. Merlin this was the most awkward moment of her life.

Snape on the other hand was calculating feverishly in his mind. _Why is she so embarrassed? She didn't do anything wrong_- he went over her memory in his mind again. _No, she most definitely acted in the morally correct manner, although I'll admit it may have been socially crippling._ He smirked slightly at the realization that he could humiliate students even when he wasn't present.

"Professor Snape?"

He snapped back to reality. "Yes?"

"Can I go?"

"No."

"What?"

"No, Miss Granger, you may not go."

"Why not?"

"I need to teach you occlumency."

"Wha- why?"

"Surely you know what happens when someone's mind is constantly searched? And therefore what would happen to you if I always looked into your mind, never you into mine?"

"Oh, I'd go into a coma."

"Yes, and I can't imagine your headmaster would be too happy with me if I let that happen."

"Probably not."

"It's very simple to learn occlumency, though so few people know that and never attempt it. I just need to take you with me into my mind and guide you through; after that you'll be able to do it on your own at any time. But I warn you Miss Granger, this is only to be used with me, in our sessions. Is that clear?"

"Yes," she nodded and rubbed her face with her hands, and squirmed around in her chair.

"Are you comfortable?"

"Yes, I'm fine," she lied. He raised an eyebrow slightly. "You're not comfortable."

"No, I'm fine, I'm okay."

"Miss Granger, breaking into a person's mind is not an easy task. You must be perfectly relaxed." His scornful expression failed to relax her, however.

"Oh."

"Yes, oh. Follow me." He led Hermione to the door and stepped outside. She followed suit. He walked down the corridor with her trailing behind, and came to a stop outside of the Room of Requirement. Hermione looked at him questioningly. "Make it comfortable," he said, arms crossed. She began walking by it, repeating "We need something comfortable, we need something comfortable…" He smirked as he imagined opening the door to find a pink field of flowers with books floating down from the sky on glittering rainbows. Oh how he wished for that, as much as he would hate it, he would never let her live it down.

A door appeared. He held it open for her, then stepped inside. His jaw dropped slightly. The room stretched out into infinity, it seemed to be outer space; black save for the thousands of galaxies floating in every direction as far as the eye could see, and further. Somehow, there was a thunderstorm in the middle of it all, with bright flashes of lighting and loud claps of thunder interrupting the silence. And below that, a single rollercoaster car hanging beneath a mercilessly steep track. Hermione's eyes became wide as she ran over to the car, positively enthralled. She looked at her professor excitedly.

Snape was still standing by the door, mouth agape. He thought it was outright brilliant, but… she did too? There was no freaking way.

"Professor, come on!" Hermione shouted impatiently. He walked toward her and strapped himself in the third seat of the four-seat car, expecting her to leave a space between them. She did. To his dismay, the car shrunk and the two empty seats vanished. They were seated side by side in the car, but before he could make a snide remark, they were launched up the track into the blackness. Hermione gasped and began laughing with delight. Snape sat there, willing his face to remain somber, but it would not comply. He was always one for power, and what was more powerful than a rollercoaster light years high and light speed fast? The corners of his lips twitched upwards.

Finally, at the very top of the universe, the car came to a stop. The two sat in murderous suspense. The car would not budge.

"Miss Granger, let's start the lesson," he said, his lips turning back into a frown.

"Oh, right. Of course." She leaned back in her seat and waited for instructions.

"I'm going to go into your mind, and bring you into mine." He leaned out past his restraint so he could see her. "Some people are capable enough after a minute to search through any memory they want," he was clearly talking about her, "and I warn you not to." A fire danced dangerously behind his eyes.

"Yes, sir."

He entered her mind. _"Granger?" "I'm ready." "Good."_ Hermione suddenly felt like she was in a pool of electricity. Excruciating waves of pain washed over her. She thought no thoughts and saw only white, until her consciousness landed in that of her professor. Then again she felt pain, but it was dull, and tingling. Her mind was melding with Snape's. He led her through some of his milder thoughts- she saw him leaning over Ron's essay and writing sarcastic comments after every other word. He handed a crate of potions to Madam Pomfrey. It went on like this for awhile, until Hermione felt she no longer needed his help. He expelled her from his mind, and before either could speak their car plummeted downward into the black abyss.

The drop was never ending. Snape fought furiously with himself to control his emotions. Scream, Severus, let it all out. No, Severus, hold your tongue. Hold your authority and keep your cool. No, Severus. Scream. You need someone to hear you scream.

He poured his lungs out. The scream that had been building within him since the moment he joined the Dark Lord was released into the air. It was deep and dark, and he expected Hermione to be scared.

She joined him. Their shouts grew and became pure pleasure as they threw their hands in the air. Their hands touched for a moment, until Snape let his fall down Hermione's back, and then into his own lap as he closed his eyes and bit back a smile. Hermione's eyes were wide and a shiver tingled down her spine.

When Hermione got back to the common room, it was well past curfew. Harry and Ron were asleep on the couch, and Ginny was reading a book. When she saw Hermione walk in, she poked the boys and ran to greet her. Ron looked up wearily and asked, "D'we win the bet?" "Of course." "Ha. Knew it." He promptly fell back asleep.

"We've been waiting for you for hours! What the bloody hell did Snape do to you?" Ginny asked. They walked toward their dormitories together. "Oh, you know. Real hands on stuff," she proceeded to tell the night's events.

"Merlin, he read your mind? You read his mind? He _massaged_ you? You're kidding, right?"

Hermione giggled and Ginny joined her. Ginny pushed her jokingly as they walked. "Oooh, Hermione and Snape sitting in a tree…"

"Shh, Gin, I never said I enjoyed it!" Ginny looked at her with a smug smile.

"Well, sweet dreams," she said, rubbing Hermione's shoulders lightly with her hands.

"What are you suggesting?"

"Oh, nothing," but she laughed as they parted and Hermione buried her face in the pillows of her four poster and fell asleep, blushing.

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AN: Enjoy it. Please review. Next chapter: Hermione's dream. Over and out.


	5. The Dream

A shout out to all you Severus and Hermione fans! Wahoo!

5

It was well into the night, and Hermione was equally well into her cycle of dreams. She was at the moment walking through the halls of Hogwarts- they weren't real of course, but she didn't know that. She would have sworn on Hogwarts A History that they were real.

She was late for class and a wave of horror pulsed through her body. She groaned in her sleep as her dream self rushed towards a gathering of staircases, all seeming to point at her and usher her to dead ends and wrong turns. She jumped onto the nearest one; it was silver and cold like the rest. She sprinted halfway up and the staircase turned abruptly, throwing her into a bottomless blackness. She fell and tried to scream, but could only manage a hoarse whisper. That was what scared her most. Where was her voice? She tried again, but no sound escaped her lips. The darkness became cold and bitter until suddenly a pool of green light surrounded her and held her in midair. It hovered her slowly downward, and although she was relieved to have stopped falling, she was scared of this new force. Her feet touched ground.

The light extinguished itself and she stiffened and crouched low to the ground, determined to protect herself from whatever the darkness was hiding. Slow footsteps approached her. She stopped breathing; they were right behind her. Fear practically poured from her eyes as two hands slid themselves firmly under her shoulders and drew her close to a body. Cool breath tingled on the back of her neck. The nameless body snaked one arm around her waist and pulled her to the ground, and laid down next to her, pressed up close to her body. Both arms were now under her shoulders, and both hands held the back of her head, entangled in her hair. She struggled but the arms held her tighter. A soft cheek landed on hers and a silky voice whispered in her ear, "Miss Granger, have I ever told you how much I hate you?" Hermione whimpered in response. "Sir," was the only word that came out. Snape trailed a finger down her spine. Her arm involuntarily grasped his, and she squeezed it in surprise. Snape stilled his finger, giving her just enough time to gather one thought. "I hate you, too," she mumbled. She laid in his arms, shivering. "Hermione, I _loathe_ you," Snape whispered, ice dripping from his voice. He had whispered it so quietly that Hermione was not sure if he had said _loathe _or_ love_. Snape held her body tightly against his as his lips fell onto hers. Hermione closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around her suave enemy, allowing herself to fall further into his kiss.

A brightly lit column of warm water began to pour down on their intertwined legs. It grew and engulfed their entire bodies, until they were floating in an ocean of water and light. Jets of air bubbled around them and Hermione stared into Snape's now well lit eyes. They were as black as the hole he had rescued her from, and twice as deep. Snape smirked and pulled her into a kiss so deep that the Hermione lying asleep in her bed ceased to breathe, and woke up gasping for air.

"Lumos." She sat up and crossed her legs. The burgundy drapes around her bed were drawn tight, as she liked them, and she turned her head to her window. A full moon glittered on the Quidditch field in the distance. She squinted and looked toward the goalposts; sometimes Harry and Ron would sneak out at night and play, and she would wake up to a tap on her window as they zoomed by on brooms, gesturing for her to watch. She always enjoyed these little illegal night games, but tonight the field was empty and she was relieved- she had something secret on her mind and did not want to let anything slip to Harry and Ron, not even the look in her eyes, which she feared would reveal her thoughts.

She closed her eyes and tried to remember the details of her dream. She remembered waking up with a tingling sensation in her mind, she felt wonderful, _but what had the dream been… something was… wait, I was in a pool, eh, maybe… hmm_. Her back straightened out as she realized… _someone kissed me! Who? Who was that? Argh, I can't remember_… She searched her memory for a few more minutes, but fell back asleep without an answer.

………………………………………………………………………………………….

Snape jumped out of his bed and shouted "Stupify!" in one swift motion, but paused when he realized that he was alone. He sat down on his bed and stared into space. Thoughts raced furiously through his head. He remembered something Albus had said to him on his first day as a professor- _Severus, if you find you ever need to talk at an absurd hour of the day, do not hesitate to come to me_.

Snape snorted. _Dense old man_. He threw on his robe. _Crazy, absolutely crazy_. He swooshed out of his quarters and into the deserted hallway_. Bloody lunatic_.

Albus sat behind his desk and reached into a drawer, pulling out a glass bowl of dark chocolate with speckles of blackberry and orange. Severus' favorite. He smiled to himself when he heard three sharp knocks on his door.

"Do come in, my boy." Snape entered and sat across from him, scowling.

"Good night, Severus."

"Hardly." He glared at Albus. If the headmaster was not going to explain why he was up at this ungodly hour, Snape was not about to humor him by asking.

"Care for a chocolate berry?" Albus extended the bowl to Snape, who took one and popped it into his mouth, savoring its flavor. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes for a moment, gathering his thoughts.

"Albus, I dreamt about Hermione. I rather compromised my position as a professor, to say the least."

"Not through violence, I hope?"

"No, Albus, entirely the opposite."

"Mmm. I believe you may have mentioned already, Severus, but you are a lucid dreamer, correct?"

"I have always been… except tonight. I could not control it. I knew it was a dream, I knew what I was doing, I made her react how I saw fit, but at the end… her actions evaded my control."

"Have you taught her occlumency?"

"Yes."

"How?"

Snape's face paled as he realized his error. He gritted his teeth and leaned his head back in exasperation. Albus chuckled. "Severus, you have left part of her mind in yours!" Albus banged one fist on his desk and wiped tears of laughter from his eyes with the other. Snape sunk into his chair. He and Granger could share thoughts… oh could it get _any_ worse? _At all_? "My boy, if you only saw this from my point of …" he couldn't finish his sentence though, and doubled over in laughter. A minute later, when he had composed himself, he said, still smiling, "well, Severus, I think it's wonderful. You may make something good out of your mistake yet. Go back to bed, don't dwell on it until you wake up. See what you can make of this. I'll be here when you need me." Albus' eyes sparkled as Snape stood grumpily.

"Thank you Albus," he managed to mutter. He walked to the door.

"Yes, and do take the rest of this chocolate, I prefer milk to dark." He levitated to bowl to Snape, who took it gracefully from the air. "Thank you." He exited, his dark robe billowing behind him.

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AN: Hope you like it to death. Uhoh, if Hermione doesn't remember the dream, nothing will happen… oh no, Severus will make himself look like an idiot… oh wait, no he won't. Don't worry your little head off. I woudn't do that to him. I love our evil potions master as much as you do. Anyway, lots and lots of reviews please… this means YOU, you lazy reader, think you can just read my stuff and not comment, why you little (mumble grumble)10 points from Gryffindor!


	6. Stony Faced Gryffindors

Without further ado…

6

Hermione rubbed her eyes groggily. She opened the curtains around her four poster and looked into an empty room. It was a nice day; light from the windows shone on the mirror facing her. She quickly performed her morning hair spell and changed her clothes. "Hideous," she said out loud. She knew that she in fact looked very nice, but by her mirror hung a picture of an anonymous woman who could always make her feel even better about herself. The woman's shook her head at Hermione's comment. "My dear, you look as gorgeous as always. Take a turn." Hermione spun around, hair swishing gracefully about her head. "Look at your beautiful hair, dear, I envy you." Hermione gave her a smile and walked down the stairwell to the common room. Halfway there, she paused, remembering that someone kissed her in her dream. Her smile widened. By the time she met the cheering crowd in the common room, she was positively radiating happiness.

She could hardly get to Harry and Ron for all the pats on the back and friendly punches she received. Ginny gathered her into a hug, then stepped back and yelled above the crowd, "Speech!" The Gryffindors caught on fast. A chorus of "speech, speech!" filled the air and Hermione was forced to comply. She stood on the arm of a couch and cleared her throat dramatically.

"My fellow Gryffindors, I regret to inform you that last night… Professor Snape…" she paused and looked around, feigning sadness. Many faces fell; clearly Harry and Ron had told them she'd been right, she was breaking their poor little hearts. She smirked inwardly at this. "Professor Snape was wrong! Completely and utterly incorrect! And second to a Gryffindor, no less!" Laughter and cheers sounded through the room. When it died down, Hermione continued. "But one victory can only last so long…" The Gryffindors fell silent. Hmm, Hermione's voice sounded almost… sneaky… this _was _interesting. "I propose an addition to my original plan." When many smiles and murmurs broke out in agreement, she raised her hand to silence them. "I would like a volunteer." Hands shot up. Hermione looked at Neville, who stood toward the front of the crowd, hands in his pockets. She gestured to him to raise his hand. He did. "Neville, won't you join me on the couch?" He stood nervously and climbed up beside her.

"Now Neville, how would you describe Professor Snape?"

He fiddled with his hands and said, "Mean, cruel, hateful, completely apathetic."

The crowd laughed. Neville smiled.

"Apathetic?"

"Well, besides negative emotions, yes."

"Thank you for your help, Neville. Take a bow."

He bent over theatrically and received a round of applause.

Hermione continued. "Yes, as Neville said, one of Snape's most prominent traits is his lack of positive emotion. Every single time we have a potions class, and one of us smiles too widely or sticks up for a younger year, or in any way lets show our Gryffindor pride, Snape finds one reason or another to take points. I propose that today every one of us goes to class not in our normal fashion, but solemnly. No one is to crack one smile. Everyone is to stay with their friends as always, but instead of talking about Quidditch or parties, talk only about potions. Even if a slytherin catches on fire, do not laugh." Hermione looked thoughtful for a moment. "You know what, lets make it the whole day, and see how that goes. In the halls, at breakfast, everywhere but the common room. And, I hate to say this, but you should all read the five pages Snape assigned for homework. Be experts- if he asks a question, we want to know every answer before the Slytherins." The crowd of Gryffindors groaned, so Hermione shouted out, "Down with Snape!" and they clapped loudly. Hermione took a bow, and, grinning ear to ear, stepped down from the couch and into her waiting circle of friends. Ron slipped a handful of galleons into her pocket; her prize money from the bet.

……………………………………………………………………………………..

In the Great Hall, Dumbledore sat looking from the head table at the students slowly filling the tables. Few of the Gryffindors were there. And naturally, he knew why. A little birdie had told him. Literally. The picture of Godric Gryffindor above the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room had an elegant phoenix perched on his shoulder. No one had ever seen either of them move, and had assumed they were some kind of old fashioned artwork. But both moved freely when the room was empty; the bird often reporting to Dumbledore any interesting events.

The Gryffindor table slowly filled. Dumbledore suppressed a laugh; they were talking quietly, but seemed not to be listening to each other. A few students were scowling, some were rolling their eyes, and Hermione sat, arms crossed, scolding Harry for reaching across her plate for the stack of pancakes. Harry raised an eyebrow in reply and reached over anyway. It really was a sight.

Dumbledore was not the only one to have noticed. Students from the other tables were shooting them curious glances and mumbling amongst themselves. Some of the teachers had stopped eating and were blatantly staring at the Gryffindors. To Dumbledore's right, Snape was eating calmly. Frankly, he didn't bloody care how the Gryffindor's mood swings were going. They would all calm down by mid afternoon, when he had his first Slytherin- Gryffindor class of the day. _Even if they don't, I'll enjoy putting some emotion back into them… shall it be fear or embarrassment today?_ He swallowed his last bite of food and smirked as he left the hall.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

By the time they were on their way to potions, the Gryffindors were masters of the stone face. Hermione was very pleased, despite the scowl on her face. She poked Neville on the shoulder and ushered him to the side of the hall.

"Neville, remember, Snape cannot scare you today. Every single one of us is behind you, I swear to god if he does anything, we'll stare him down and he'll be too shocked to speak. Even if he finds his voice, remember it is our plan that you make a mistake today, to scare him, so when you make a mistake, he will do what he always does, he will criticize you, but that is what we want. We'll get him back. And any house points we lose, be it all of them, well, its going to be pretty funny when it's all over. Okay?"

Neville nodded eagerly. His fear had faded into nothing when Hermione proposed this plan; the mistakes he would naturally make were mistakes he was _supposed_ to make. And that was a pretty good feeling.

The two of them stepped into class, every seat filled except for two in the middle, which Hermione had requested they leave empty for her so she could make sure everything was going well. She and Neville sat down, Neville bumping his chair purposely into Hermione so she could give him a snarl.

Hermione sat stiffly in her chair, hands folded neatly in her lap. She had a bored expression on her face, and when Snape asked a particularly difficult question, was pleased to see that every Gryffindor hand shot up, including her own. Only Malfoy's hand was raised on the Slytherin side of the room. Hermione crossed her legs and raised a brow. She checked her fingernails for dirt and laughed inwardly when Snape allowed, if only for a moment so brief that only Hermione noticed, a look of unadulterated confusion to cross his face.

_So it begins_, she thought.

…………………………………………………………………………………………….

AN: I hope you are enjoying this, guys. I know I am. I wish I had a teacher like Snape. I'd have so much fun with plans like these…


	7. Snape is Human

Snape 3

7

The period was halfway through and not a Gryffindor had smiled. Hermione was noticing a subtle change in Snape; he spoke less and glared more. At least he was reacting. That was the point.

Snape, on the other hand, was furious. _How dare the sodding blockheads mock me? How bloody dare they?_ He had been thinking this for some time when he decided he would act like he didn't notice, but then a more intriguing thought manifested itself… why not take down their leader? Surely he could sway this situation to his advantage if he could out- Snape Granger.

The students were all standing by their desks, brewing potions. The Gryffindors looked truly immersed in their work, for once. Every now and then one would turn to look at a Slytherin and raise a brow in contempt at their ineptitude. Snape began gliding gracefully between desks, occasionally stopping behind a Gryffindor to pressure them into making a mistake. No one did. Snape stopped behind Hermione. She was busy slicing ice root and did not even notice his presence. He smirked and stood for a minute. She seemed to sense him, as she momentarily paused. As she began putting the root in her cauldron, Snape bent close to her so that his mouth was almost touching her ear.

"Hermione, I _loathe_ you," Snape whispered, ice dripping from his voice. Hermione froze. She was overwhelmed by his proximity to her, and a feeling of déjà vu made her blood cold. Suddenly she remembered her dream. All the details came back to her, as clear as Snape standing beside her. _My god_, she thought. _Holy hell. He knows? How could he possibly… is he reading my mind? _

Nervousness made its way across her features. By the time she turned to face Snape, he was halfway across the room, praising Malfoy for an exemplary potion. She put her hands flat on her desk and tried to control her breathing. She willed her face to stay somber, and her cheeks to resist the need to blush. A moment later, she had regained her composure and was carefully adjusting the heat under her cauldron. She glanced over at Neville; his potion was, surprisingly, still intact. Hermione wondered whether he would actually have to mess up on purpose today. She soon forgot about it, however, and was so engrossed in her potion making that she did not see Snape come to stand behind her again. This time, he did not wait for her to notice him. He brought his index finger gently to her neck and slowly trailed it down her spine, to her waist. She stiffened. The blush she had been fighting burst into full bloom and she could not bring herself to do anything. _Déjà vu again. This was also in my dream. Except we had been alone, in the dark, in each others arms_… her blush deepened. She had to stop thinking like this if Snape was reading her mind.

Finally her face cooled. She looked around the room. No one seemed to have seen them… oh thank you Merlin. After the relief came a wave of anger. _How dare he? How dare he embarrass me like that? Those are my private thoughts. No low down snake of a human being is going to get the best of me. _An idea formulated in the back of her mind, and when she consciously realized it, it was the closest she had come to cracking a smile all day. She finished her potion with a few minutes left in class and cleared her throat quietly. This was the sign for all the Gryffindors to look up. They did. The Slytherins were oblivious, and kept working.

Hermione corked her potion vial and brought it to Snape's desk. He was standing behind it, facing away from her, scribbling some instructions on the chalkboard. She walked toward him and gathered her courage. Now or never. She slowly brushed by him, making sure her body grazed his, and trailed a finger along his back, right above his waist. Without stopping, she went to her seat and waited, with the rest of the Gryffindors, for his reaction.

He had frozen mid-word. His hand lingered at the chalkboard, unable to move, as he fought for control of himself. Redness crept slowly into his cheeks. He stood stock still for what seemed like forever, then closed his eyes and reopened them, as if trying to blink away a dream. He swished his hair about his head to cover his face, and continued writing as if nothing had happened.

The Gryffindors were dumbstruck. This had finally put them over the edge. Snape was blushing? The greasy git, the man with the most impenetrable control over his emotions in the entire wizarding world, maybe even the entire world, was embarrassed by one of his female students? Ron's mouth was agape, and he was in good company. Half of the classroom, the Slytherins finally having taken notice, was staring wide- eyed at the scene in front of them and trying to decide what to think.

Snape could not get a coherent thought through his head. _Did she just… touch me… I can't even, oh hell, do I want to turn around… Merlin help me … Granger just… oh damn it Hermione, thank you for that ungodly wonderful… calm down, calm down, calm down._

At that moment, the bell rang, and he was spared the agony of facing his class. When they put their potions on his desk as they left, he could feel their dumbfounded eyes scalding the back of his head. "Miss Granger, if you could stay behind?" he growled, still facing the chalkboard. Harry and Ron gave her sympathetic smiles as they left. When the room was empty, Snape turned around. His face was back to its emotionless glare, cheeks comfortably pale. Hermione's, however, were beginning to redden in fear, as she half expected him to obliviate her to the next century. Instead, he crossed his arms and said simply, "same time tonight, Miss Granger. We will be brewing your occlumency bane." And he turned once more to the chalkboard as she walked out. The corners of his lips twitched upward.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Hermione had once again received an enthusiastic reception when she entered the common room. Eventually, she had managed to escape and went to watch the Ravenclaw Quidditch team practice with Ginny. They were sitting in the stands, not really paying attention to the practice, because Ginny was intent on interrogating Hermione.

"So he read your mind?"

"As far as I can tell."

"Do you like him?"

"Gin, what? No, of course not. I mean, he's smart and interesting and all if that's what you're asking."

"No, I'm asking if you like him… you know…" she started humming 'here comes the bride'.

Hermione blushed. "No."

"Oh don't even try. You know you do. I know you do. I know you know you do. There's nothing to hide." Ginny gave her a sly smile.

"Fine Gin, what if I do?"

"Then I have something interesting to think about when I'm bored and you have yourself a love story."

"Yeah, I don't think so."

"You made him blush."

Hermione rolled her eyes, but secretly was pleased that Ginny saw that as a good sign. "Oh Merlin, it's time to go. I've got to meet him to make potions!" Hermione bid goodbye to Ginny and left briskly, heading for the castle.

"Go get him!" Ginny called after her.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Hermione made her way lower and lower and finally arrived in the dungeons. There was a perpetual fog down there that still made the hairs on her arms stand up. She tentatively knocked on the door to Snape's office.

He immediately opened it. She looked inside. The place was overflowing with house elves.

"Miss Granger, it appears we will have to move tonight's plans to my quarters. There seems to have been a bit of an infestation in Hagrid's hut, which the elves have only finished cleaning, and now the godforsaken creatures insist on making up the time the should have spent in my office. If you will follow me."

_His quarters?_ Her heart leapt. _His quarters? His personal, never set foot in by a student, absolutely off limits quarters? Hell yes I will follow you._

They walked deeper into the dungeons a way, and came to a dead end. Snape raised his hand to the stone wall and the wall glowed green. Slowly it became transparent, and he stepped past it, motioning for Hermione to do the same. She did. And immediately, she hoped she would never have to step back out.

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AN: Oooh do I have a nice next scene planned. I don't think I'll have time to write it today, but I'll try, I'll try…right now I've got to go watch the commercials in the super bowl. That's the only good part. The heck with the game. ; ) Have a nice night at your parties.


	8. Severus

The Valentine's day installation (hint, hint)

8

Hermione looked around with awe. The walls were high, at least twice Snape's height, and in a shade of green that made Hermione's eyes hungry. A black leather couch and two oversized armchairs sat around a roaring fireplace, made of slates of aged silver rather than stone. The floor was jet black, but tiny pools of green and blue lights seemed to shiver along its surface. Enchanted windows with black silk curtains framed a silent blizzard. The ceiling was arched and supported by dark wooden beams that reminded Hermione of a ski lodge. To the left was a dimly lit corridor which Hermione assumed lead to the rest of Snape's chambers. "I want to live here…" she said softly to herself.

"Pardon?" Snape raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, no, I meant its nice, I didn't… just, its nice…" she mumbled, embarrassed.

Snape smirked. Hermione began to walk in, but Snape glared at her. "Miss Granger, leave your shoes at the door. Unless you'd like to clean my floors before you leave, with a toothbrush." Hermione hurried to the invisible door and slipped out of her shoes. She wasn't wearing socks underneath, because she had casted a nice comfort spell on her feet, but now she wished she had. She didn't think Snape would take too well to her running around barefoot. But she looked up at him, and he didn't seem to care. In fact, he slipped his own shoes off and revealed a pair of equally bare feet. Hermione couldn't help but notice how clean and soft they looked, an almost perfect pair of feet, second only to her own. _Feet?_ She scolded herself. _Who cares? Look how nice his hands are… _

"Granger?" his irritated voice pulled her out of her thoughts. "What are the ingredients?" She told him, and they got to work on a coffee table that Snape enlarged for the purpose. Snape watched Hermione do a few steps, then did them himself, and in this way prepared a potion identical to Hermione's, but a few minutes behind.

Hermione stopped stirring her potion. "Now we wait for half an hour before adding the next ingredient."

"Very well, you may sit while I finish this up." He heard Hermione move around on his couch as he finished stirring. He sprinkled a sandy powder over the mixture, stirred some more, and turned to face her. She sat at one end of the couch, feet on the floor, as she stared into the fireplace. Snape summoned a pile of books. He pulled the top one off and tossed it to the other end of the couch. Hermione caught its title: The Ministry, A Political Satire. She grinned at his choice. He noticed her looking and brought the pile to her.

"Pick one." He held out an armful and she glanced at their titles. She pulled an old red leather bound book from the middle of the pile, titled Read em Like a Book; Guide to Body Language. Snape put the rest of the books on the floor and took his place on the opposite end of the couch. They both picked up their books. Hermione opened to the first page, which read:

Dear Severus,

I know that you have always been a natural at reading people, to say the least, but I got this for free with the purchase of two bags of every flavored beans, so I figured if you can't learn anything from it (and you won't), at least you can have a good time smirking at its shallow insights. Not to worry though, you get your big present under your tree tomorrow.

Merry Christmas,

Albus

At the same time, Snape was reading comical script about the ministry's corruption. Together, Snape and Hermione let out a snort. They looked at each other for a moment, but Hermione hurriedly looked back down on her book when her eyes met Snape's. Snape stared at her for a moment, with no readable expression on his face. Then he pushed the hair out of his face and continued to read. A thoughtful look crossed Hermione's face and she turned to face Snape. "Professor?"

"Yes?" he glared at her, annoyed that she interrupted his reading.

"Isn't this supposed to be a detention?" The second the words passed her lips, she mentally slapped herself. _Why would you say that? What is the matter with you? Everything was fine. Good job, big mouth. Good job._

Snape raised his eyebrow. "If you insist."

"Oh, no, no, I just…"

"No, Miss Granger. You are right for the second time this week. Unfortunately, as we are in my chambers, there is really nothing to clean."

Her face visibly brightened.

"However," he glared at her, "You can hang this up," he pulled his long black cloak off and tossed it in her direction. She caught it and walked toward her shoes, above which were a few pegs in the wall. As she reached her arms up to hang his cloak, a subtle scent tickled her nose. She brought the cloak to her face and breathed in deeply. Gods in heaven! It had a very, very faint cologne scent, just enough for Snape to keep his nose happy, without bothering anyone else. Hermione lifted it to the peg and held it longingly, then turned away. But the sight the greeted her shot another arrow through her dizzy heart. Snape was sitting on the couch, his back leaning on one armrest, one leg out, and the other bent and leaning lazily against the back of the couch. She'd never seen him without his cloak, and her jaw hung open. He was wearing a formal black shirt, the cuffs unbuttoned and rolled up halfway to his elbows. The front was still buttoned up all the way to the collar, but Hermione saw the outline of a tight undershirt underneath it. His black pants were the perfect fit and perfect match. He moved one strong arm to the back of his head and ran it through his hair. Silky and gorgeous like his flawless skin, it spilled over the arm of the couch.

"Are you going to come sit down or were you planning on staring all day?" he asked, not looking up from his book. She blushed and took her place on the other end of the couch, this time facing him, and brought her knees in close to her body. She continued to read. She turned the page, and got to a particularly interesting passage about body contact. She stole a glance at Snape, the silky skin of his ankle just over two feet from hers. _I will do it,_ she thought. _I will do it, and if he hates me for it, I will obliviate him. _She readjusted herself so that her wand was readily accessible, and got to work. Slowly, so slowly that the leather of the couch did not so much as ripple, she brought her legs down. She inched them steadily forward until one was side by side with Snape's leg. When he did not react, she let her foot fall against his calf. He continued to read. _Oh_, she thought. _Maybe he doesn't notice. How could he not notice? Well, he would have reacted._ She resigned herself to simply being happy that he had not jerked away in horror. She continued reading.

Snape had noticed. He was pretending to read, pretending not to notice so it would not look strange that he had let her get away with it. His calf tingled with warmth where her foot rested against it. He fought the blush that threatened to assault his cheeks, this time successfully. _She wants to touch my leg? Why? Surely its not that spectacular. Oh, is that that goddamned book Albus got me? Body language, eh? Yes Albus, that was bloody hilarious. But at least it has been put to good use. _His eyes paused on her face for a moment. _Okay Hermione, you want to interpret my body language? Interpret this._ He moved the leg that was leaning against the back of the couch, not slowly as Hermione had, but naturally, and let it rest when it had straightened out, squished in between the back of the couch and Hermione's leg. She blushed furiously. Snape did not need to look up to know his effect on her; he could feel her rapid pulse in her ankle. He closed his eyes for a minute, knowing she wouldn't dare to look up at him, and let out a breath of air he did not realize he had been holding.

Butterflies were fighting a war in her stomach. She wanted so badly to sink down closer to him, but did not dare. Suddenly she pulled her legs in and jumped up. "Half an hour is up, Professor. I'll add the last ingredient to mine, and then it will be done and we can test it."

He looked up and nodded. "Add it to mine too, if you will." He watched her as she sliced dried maple sap into thin sheets and dropped them into her cauldron. She left Snape's to sit for a few more minutes. Immediately, her potion hardened into a glassy black block. She mixed a portion of it into a glass of water, and as she was about to drink it, Snape stopped her. "I believe, Miss Granger, that it is my turn."

"Right, sorry." She handed the glass to him, and he emptied it into his throat. It left a refresing minty flavor in its wake. He stood next to her and crossed his arms. "For your own safety, Miss Granger, you will not look into any memories relating to my involvement with Death Eaters, or the Order," his voice was low and he glared at her. She paled but nodded. "Nor will you look into memories in which I am not fully clothed." He put the glass down on the table. Color flooded back into her face. _Not fully clothed? Was that… a _joke? Before she could answer herself, he had sat down and closed his eyes. She did the same, and plunged into his mind.

A few minutes and useless, but true, memories later, she came to one she found interesting. Snape was grading papers. Hers, specifically. One that had been required by the ministry since before Snape was born. He held a quill in his hand, perpetually filled with red ink. He drew his finger across the page as he read, his condescending eyes scouting for errors. 'Damn it.' He placed a check mark at the end of one line. A paragraph later, he made another check. 'damn it.' This happened three more times, until he finished grading the essay. He leaned the end of his quill to his face and tapped against his cheek, contemplatively. Finally, seeing no way around it, he scribbled the letter A on top and leaned back into his chair. 'accio potions essay'. A faded scroll flew into his hand. He carefully unrolled it and laid it beside Hermione's. It was the essay he had written so many years ago, the same one Hermione had just written. He put one index finger on each essay, and brought them down the lines, glancing quickly between the two. Each word he remembered as definitely as the couch he was currently sitting on.

Hermione gasped. They had written almost exactly the same essay. Word for word, or near enough to make her shiver. How was that possible? What were the chances? What did it mean? She exited his mind. She stared at him, not bothering to keep the shock out of her eyes. "Was that real?"

"Yes, Miss Granger, it would appear the potion has worked. Put the extra in a vial, and clean up your cauldron."

She complied, too afraid of what his reaction might be to ask him about the memory. As she waited a few more minutes for his to cool, she sat back down on the couch. This time, both of his legs were stretched out and there was barely room for Hermione to sit. But she managed, and in the same position as before, with her knees drawn in close to her body. She did not want to give Snape any reason to be angry with her, so she sat like that for a few moments. But it was cramped and acutely uncomfortable, and she could not keep herself from moving. Her legs slid out, trapping his in between hers and the couch. They were almost lying side by side, but their heads were on opposite ends and their feet only reached the other's waist.

_My waist?_ Snape thought. An unfamiliar fluttering feeling plagued his stomach. His face grew hot with an inevitable blush. _Her feet… on my waist… she doesn't mind? If I can just…_ He dropped one hand from his book and brought it to her foot. He rubbed it gently, causing her pulse to stop completely and then start up twice as fast. This time, though, he didn't notice, because it had the exact same effect on him and he could not discern their pulses. He rubbed her ankle and the bottom of her calf, and completely forgot to pretend to read his book. His eyes were on her. She looked up, and they lay there for a moment, unblinking. Suddenly he grabbed her ankles harshly and threw them away from him, off of the couch. She blushed in furious shame, thinking he had only realized what he was doing and was horrified. She stood and tried to keep her knees still. He stood and took two long strides over to her and grabbed her roughly under the shoulders. Her eyes were wide with fear and she could not move. In one swift motion, he wrapped his arms around her, and fell onto the couch on top of her. The look in her eyes changed from fear to pleasure as he drew her into a searing kiss.

When the finally broke apart, Severus pushed himself up with his arms so his face was inches above Hermione's. She was gaping and her cheeks were bright red. Severus watched as a smile slowly spread across her lips. "Hermione," he whispered silkily.

"Yes, Severus?" He opened his mouth to respond but the sound of his name from her lips rendered him unable to speak. He tried to suppress a shiver but failed miserably. Hermione smiled. She rolled over so she was on top of him and tangled her hands in his silky hair. His lips curved upward as she kissed them gently. "Severus, I was going to obliviate you if hadn't kissed me," she smiled, but grew nervous when she realized that that might anger him. But he responded calmly. "I was going to obliviate you if you did not return my kiss." Hermione let out a laugh that pleased Severus so much that his lips broke into a smile. Hermione stared, amazed at how gorgeous he looked, his thin lips framing his clean white teeth. "Wow," she whispered, as she laid her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her waist. They lay still for ages, and Severus let out a contented sigh and closed his eyes when he felt Hermione fall into a deep sleep in his arms.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

AN: well well well. I certainly hope that was fun to read. I wish I was Hermione back there. Happy V day to all of you readers. If I could I would give all of you a box of Severus's favorite chocolate right now. As it is, I don't know where any of you live, and the chocolate doesn't exist… but I really do appreciate all of you and your heartwarming reviews… so consider this my Valentine's day present to you.


	9. Night Elegance

9

Hermione groggily opened her eyes, and her heart leapt when she remembered where she was. It was still dark, probably hours away from breakfast, and a dying fire crackled in the silver slated fire place in front of her. She looked around, Snape was nowhere in sight, but his cloak covered her and she still lay on the couch on which she had fallen asleep.

Suddenly she thought of her friends. _Oh hell, they are going to ask me all kinds of questions about where I was… oh shit_. She leapt off of the couch and made a run for the entrance wall. She ran her hands along its surface but could find no means of opening it. _Oh Merlin, I'm dead_. After a few unsuccessful charms and a bit of old fashioned begging, she surrendered. She went back to the couch and lay down. It was cold despite the fire, and the cloak was an inadequate blanket. She shivered. Across the room was the dim outline of a door, and she stumbled over to it. It opened effortlessly, and she closed it softly behind her, then looked around. She stood in Snape's bedroom, and although it was too dark to make out any colors, the elegance of the furniture and the inviting flow of the bed sheets and comforter seemed so fitting to Snape… _so fitting to such a dark and sensu_… Hermione would not allow herself to fully articulate the words in her mind. She tiptoed over to the side of the bed and leaned in close to Snape. He was breathing lightly, his chest rising and falling underneath the comforter, which Hermione now saw to be made of silk. His dark hair lay still on the many folds and wrinkles of his pillows. It glistened in what little light there was. His lips were pursed, as if he were thinking as clearly in his dream as he would awake.

For a moment, then two, his breathing stopped. Suddenly he opened his eyes and threw the blankets from him, caught Hermione by the shoulders, and shoved her roughly against the wall, his body pressed close to hers. She shivered in fear, but could not move. Snape seemed to think for a moment. "I apologize, miss Granger. I thought you were a death eater." Hermione's face fell at the use of her last name, and she turned her head away from Snape. She was blushing, but the dark concealed her emotions. She remembered what Snape had said about controlling her embarrassment, and she gathered the courage to look into his eyes. He seemed to sense her discomfort, but did nothing to alleviate it. He stayed pressed against her, and held her to the wall. Hermione turned her head down, and with it, her eyes. They widened as they came to rest on Snape's chest… it was bare! Though she could see only very little, she felt his muscles against her stomach, and let out a whimper. Without moving away from her, he slid his hands down to her waist and lifted her up to his eye level. His emotionless face was just inches from hers. They stayed like that for only a second or two, but to Hermione it felt like a lifetime. Adrenaline was rushing through her body and it was only fear that kept her from letting out a scream. He bent his head toward hers so their lips grazed so lightly, Hermione thought she was imagining it. He spoke in whispers, his lips still touching hers. "I wonder whether you do not regret your choice to enter my bedroom?" When her only response was to shiver, he continued. "How very presumptuous of you, very presumptuous and yet very correct in your presumptions…" He backed away from her and let her fall onto his bed.


End file.
